CLARKSBURG, Mass. - The town of Clarksburg is in a state of emergency and Town Administrator Carl McKinney said it could be for a while until streets like Horrigan Road are made passable following Monday's rainstorms, which brought historic flooding to the town.
What You Need To Know
- Clarksburg, MA saw collapsed roads and flooding across the town during the latest storm
- Clarksburg borders Vermont and declared a state of emergency on Monday, July 10
- MEMA is deploying regional staff to supporting multiple communities in Western and Central Mass where floodwaters are impacting roads and homes
- The town of Clarksburg's administrator Carl McKinney is advising residents to stay away from rivers which are running with an extremely strong current
In addition to road collapses, the town hall also flooded.
“So, this was all flooded, it's all a sponge," McKinney said. "We have been pumping and wet vac-ing and dehumidifiers and trying to air the building out.”
McKinney walked through areas which had several inches of water just a day ago. He said he’s thankful for what got them through the storm.
“Teamwork, sharing the burden, not complaining, ‘This isn't my job’ or anything else," McKinney said. "It's nobody's job. You don't have any job description that says, you know, flood restoration technician or what have you.”
Around town, McKinney said Clarksburg experienced significant flooding and road collapses unlike major storms in the past.
“With Hurricane Irene or Hurricane Sandy, the town itself during those two events didn't have a lot of damage," he said. "Nothing like what we got now.”
McKinney is in contact with state representatives, the governor’s office, and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency about relief efforts. He expects there’s more than $1 million in damage to the town.
“The state owns 53%," McKinney said. "They own 4,300 acres in Clarksburg. It's not the largest holding of any community, but it is relative to our size. We are a little postage stamp on the Vermont border, and I have, you know, city expenses, public water, public sewer. We run this town on dental floss, not even a shoestring.”
Clarksburg has a population of 1,657 people and McKinney said the town has has seven full-time workers with many part-time employees. He’s hoping the state will help them recover.
“We certainly don't have the resources, but we do have good human resources," McKinney said. "And I'm a blessed man to have the staff. We have a volunteer fire company, they were here yesterday helping us, police chief. I mean, we were here quite late last night and like I said, I'm grateful.”
Clarksburg and other hard-hit communities in the area are bracing as more rain could come at the end of the week.